Chapter 30
Harlan suddenly gripped my wheelchair, his eyes flashing with fury. “Charlene, are you tired of being the deputy director?”
I could hear the threat in his words, but I was truly exhausted and didn’t want to continue this annoying argument. I simply said, “Fine. Then I’ll leave the planning for Regal Corporation’s events to someone else.”
Harlan’s gaze turned cold. “Are you threatening me?”
I sneered and looked up at him. “Wasn’t it you who threatened me first?”
His face immediately darkened. “Alright. Charlene, you’re really something else.”
I smiled. “Of course I am. Otherwise, why would Regal Corporation have agreed to give you an extra three percent?”
Harlan seemed to calm down slightly at that. He took a deep breath and then said flatly, “Fine. For the sake of those three percent, I won’t pursue this matter. But Charlene, I hope there won’t be a next time.”
I looked back at him calmly. “That depends on Tamara.”
Tamara, hearing this, lowered her head, looking aggrieved. “Charlene, do you think I did this on purpose?”
“Do you think so?” I asked with a half–smile, glancing at her. She didn’t respond, looking a bit downcast.
I turned to Harlan. “Please push me out.”
Harlan didn’t refuse. He stood up and began pushing my wheelchair. As we reached the door, he said, “Tamara is sensitive, but she doesn’t mean any harm. Don’t speak ill of her next time.”
I chuckled. “No harm? You mean when she locked me in the breakroom?”
Harlan frowned slightly. “She told me the door was broken. It wasn’t intentional. Besides, you’re out now, aren’t you?”
I knew he would always defend Tamara. Not wanting to argue with him any further, I just nodded dismissively. “Fine. I’ll consider it as me being petty.”
Harlan said nothing more until he pushed me outside the hospital. Then he added, “And stay away from Ivan. He’s not as simple as you think.”
I didn’t respond, calling a cab on my own.
It seemed like a fleeting piece of advice, and after he said that, he turned and left.
Tamara was discharged that day, and when I left work in the evening, I happened to run into her and Harlan.
She was chattering away to Harlan, and I vaguely heard something about a team–building event.
But I didn’t pay much attention. As I exited the company, Ashton’s car was parked outside.
He helped me into the car and gently asked, “Do you want to go see Shane?”
He meant Shane Swope, my brother, whom I hadn’t seen in several days.
I paused for a moment before quietly nodding.
Shane had a tumor in his brain, which had started pressing on his nerves, causing him to sleep more than he was awake each day.
I wasn’t sure I could face him; watching his life slowly slip away before my eyes was agonizing.
When we arrived at the hospital, Shane was still asleep. He had become so thin that he no longer looked like himself. I watched him for a while before going to speak with the doctor about his condition.
The doctor sighed. “He’s awake less and less these days. You should come by more often, or else—*
I paused, knowing what the doctor wasn’t saying. I couldn’t put into words the feeling that settled in my chest.
After a moment, I asked, “What’s the chance of a successful surgery?”
The doctor replied, “If I do it, it’s probably only a ten percent chance.”
A ten percent chance, I muttered to myself.
What difference did that make from announcing Shane’s death?
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11:44 AM
Chapter 30
I don’t know why, but suddenly, Ivan flashed through my mind.
He had said he knew a brain specialist.
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G
